Volunteering
refers to doing an activity of one’s own will and without being paid for it or
without expecting any material reward for it.
As for
Muslims, they are strongly recommended to do many volunteer acts, and they
should do so for the sake of Allah and with hope of getting His rewards in the
Hereafter.
In fact,
there is no harm for Muslims living in the West to undertake volunteer
activities with non-Muslims. Furthermore, Muslims are strongly recommended to do
so in order for them to introduce Islam to non-Muslims during these activities
in a very kind and peaceful manner. Muslims have to mix with non-Muslims as much
as possible in order to call them to Islam and introduce to them the beauty and
greatness of this wonderful religion.
The Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The believer who mixes with the
people and has patience and tolerance with them is better than the believer who
doesn’t mix with the people.”
Da`wah
(calling others to Islam) should not be limited to and focused on Muslims only;
it has to move around and look for opportunities and seize the chances.
Indeed, there
are many verses in the Qur’an that call upon Muslims to interact with
non-Muslims. Almighty Allah says: [Allah forbiddeth you not those who warred
not against you on account of religion and drove you not out from your homes,
that ye should show them kindness and deal justly with them. Lo ! Allah loveth
the just dealers] (Al-Mumtahanah 60:8). He also says:
[And if anyone of
the idolaters seeketh thy protection (O Muhammad) , then protect him so that he
may hear the word of Allah; and afterward convey him to his place of safety.
That is because they are a folk who know not] (At-Tawbah 9:6).
There are
also other verses that were revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) urging him to call the People of the Book to Islam and its teachings.
Furthermore,
the biography of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is full of
occasions that he benefited from and used for the interest of da`wah. It
was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) visited a young
Jewish boy who fell sick. At the end of his visit, the Prophet called him to
Islam and the father of the boy advised him to obey the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him). The boy converted to Islam.
There are
many practical examples that urge the Muslim to seize various opportunities to
serve the cause of Islam. May Allah guide all of us on the right path!
*
Dr. Sano Koutoub
Moustapha is a professor of Jurisprudence & Its Principles at the
International Islamic University, Malaysia.
